For my 2nd interview I’ve selected Dr. Raymond J. Baxter because of his broad perspective in health care. Baxter is Kaiser Permanente’s senior vice president Community Benefit, Research, and Health Policy where he leads all research and community initiatives for Kaiser Permanente, the country's largest integrated health care insurer and provider organization with a workforce of nearly 180,000 plus 17,000 physicians, 9.1 million members, 38 hospitals, more than 600 medical offices, and generating more than $50 billion in annual revenue. Previously Baxter headed San Francisco Department of public health and New York City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation. Baxter received his doctorate from Princeton University. Here are his responses:

Robert Reiss: With healthcare at 17.2% of the GDP, significantly higher than any other nation, how can we improve the economics of healthcare in America?

Dr. Raymond Baxter: The real problem isn't that healthcare costs so much, it's that we are not getting commensurate value. If Americans were the healthiest people in the world, and we were living the longest, most productive and fulfilling lives, we wouldn't be so concerned about what percent GDP it was consuming. But we are definitely not the healthiest people, and healthcare costs are chewing up resources that could otherwise improve our lives substantially: education, early childhood development, equitable economic development, social supports for vulnerable populations and communities. So it's a value problem, not just a cost problem. We need to get more health and better outcomes for what we are spending, and we need to move our spending upstream, from costly acute and chronic care after our health has already been severely compromised, to prevention and promotion of healthy living and healthy environments.

Reiss: How can we enhance quality of care while not adding to costs?

Baxter: We need to stop providing care that is ineffective or even harmful, and always provide care that is proven effective. We need to harness information technology completely, so that we are not relying on memory, outdated teachings, or customary practice for what we do. We need to engage people fully in their own health and healthcare. And we need to engage institutions outside of healthcare to understand and help address the environmental, social and economic determinants of ill health. That means health-promoting conditions in the home, in the neighborhood, in schools and workplaces, and in the culture.

Reiss: In a digital world, how will mobility change healthcare?

Baxter: Mobility is already turning traditional healthcare on its head. For several years I've been using a Kaiser Permanente app on my smartphone to access my doctor, my lab tests and prescriptions, my appointments, reminders about my health, and information about symptoms and care. People in rural Africa and India are conducting healthcare transactions by phone and their caregivers are getting guidance and backup from specialists by mobile devices. A flood of information from remote sensors, implants, even pills with embedded chips, are adding to the stream of information being generated by health and fitness apps. Social media have enormous potential to change how information is generated and shared. We have to figure out how to use this torrent of information effectively, while at the same time addressing real privacy concerns.

Reiss: By 2025, how will our healthcare delivery system change?

Baxter: That's just over a decade ahead. How many people in 2003 predicted accurately what healthcare would look like today: apps, robots, remote care, genomics? No one thought the rising costs were sustainable, but they have continued, with some recent moderation. A lot of people thought America would have universal coverage by now, and we still aren't there. I think the most powerful force will be the consumer, assisted by technology and unprecedented access to information. The generational factor will also be huge, and it's not just the disruptive impact of the Millennials and their rejection of traditional hierarchies in healthcare; it's also the insistence of the aging baby boomers on a strong voice and role in their care and their expectation that they will live a long, healthy and active life. The definition of health and healing will be broadened, to include not just the body, but the mind and the spirit. That means medical care in clinical settings will be just one component of a continuum of supportive services inside and outside the home, schools and workplaces. For those with great means, there will be more of what we have today. But for most Americans, I think we will see a paradigm shift, where traditional healthcare organizations and relationships are overturned, and a whole new set of health-related enterprises become people's partners in achieving health goals they set for themselves.

I believe the great CEOs understand both business success and personal success. My higher purpose is to disseminate CEO wisdom to help elevate business, the economy and society. My platforms are: host of the nationally syndicated Am/Fm radio show The CEO Show with Robert Rei...